By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist, Blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

The lure of retiring where it’s warm is strong for baby boomers.

I know. I’d like to do it myself.

In my post, “The Dream of Retiring Where It’s Warm Overseas,” I offer tips and resources on how to go about this complicated project.

Baby boomer consumers can get themselves in a lot of trouble by not thoroughly checking out overseas housing deals.

Hundreds of people nationwide invested their retirement savings for a home in Costa Rica with Paragon Properties of Costa Rica, based in Hollywood, Fla.

A lawsuit filed in federal court alleges Paragon Properties was “a Ponzi-type scheme,” targeting people near or at retirement age. More than 900 Paragon Properties customers put down deposits for about 2,500 parcels of land in Costa Rica within the last six years, yet much of the land remains untouched and not a single customer has had a home built, according to court records.

Paragon Properties’ chairman has said the company’s 16 planned communities, primarily on the Central American country’s Pacific coast, stalled because of a poor economy and difficulties in obtaining local building permits, reports The Miami Herald’s article “Paradise Lost.” As of last fall, the company had been waiting for months for financing to come through, chairman and owner Bill Gale said in an October deposition in an earlier lawsuit against Paragon Properties.

Consumers who wanted to get their money back were apparently reimbursed using the deposits of later investors, according to the article.

Read The Herald’s article for details on this overseas housing project gone awry.

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By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist, Blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Recently, I was really lucky to have a vacation in Miami Beach for several weeks.

It was great. When I arrived, it was in the high 70s. Then it jumped to the mid-80s. One day, it was a record 90 degrees.

I loved the warm, shirtsleeve weather. In the Seattle area where I live, we’ve had a cool spring with rain, rain, rain. When I left home, it was 47 degrees at night. 47!

I took a 20-minute walk almost every day I was in Miami Beach. I had to take an umbrella for shade and a bottle of water to keep from getting overheated.

I’d really like to retire where it’s warm. How about you?

In a survey of where Americans want to live, by about two-to-one, survey respondents said they prefer to live in a hot-weather place over a cold-weather place.

As a baby boomer consumer, would you be willing to move when you retire to get the type of weather you like?

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Photo/Green Valley, Ariz.

By Rita R. Robison, Blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Most baby boomers want to age in place. But for those willing to move, they’re dreaming about retiring where it’s warm.

TopRetirements.com complies a list of the most popular retirement towns by keeping track of the towns with the most online visits among the 450 it’s reviewed.

Here are the top 10 communities on TopRetirements.com’s list, as reported by The Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch:

1. Asheville, N.C.

2. Sarasota, Fla.

3. Prescott, Ariz.

4. Paris, Tenn.

5. Austin, Texas

6. Green Valley, Ariz.

7. Winston-Salem, N.C.

8. Beaufort, S.C.

9. San Diego

10. Ft. Myers, Fla.

See the article for details on what’s special about these communities and what the climate and cost of living are.

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By Rita R. Robison, blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Lately, I’ve been thinking and writing about the most important events and books of the year and the decade.

What have been the most crucial happenings for you last year and since 2000?

I choose health care reform, the recall of millions of consumer products, and the recall of contaminated food as the top consumer stories of 2009. My other choices are offered in “Top 10 Consumer Stories for 2009.”

I picked the economic meltdown, the sluggish economy and job recovery, and retirement delayed as the top three stories for boomers in 2009. See “Top 10 Stories of 2009 for Baby Boomers” for my other choices.

I selected “2009 Action Plan: Keeping Your Money Safe and Sound,” “The Healing of America: The Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care,” and “Other People’s Money: The Corporate Mugging of America” for the best consumer books of 2009. See the article the “Top 10 Consumer Books of 2009” for my other choices.

My top three choices for the best consumer books of the decade are “Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal,” “Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth,” and “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” See the article “Top 10 Consumer Books of the Decade” for my other picks.

For the most important stories for boomers during the decade, I chose 9/11, the War in Afghanistan, and the War in Iraq. See the article “Top 10 Stories of the Decade for Baby Boomers” for my other top stories since 2000.

The top posts on my blog The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide for 2009 were: “How Often Should You Change Your Bed Sheets,” “How to Buy Eye Glasses,” and “How to Buy a Dishwasher.” See the article “Top 10 Stories on The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide in 2009” for information on the other top stories on the blog.

The top posts on my blog the Boomer Consumer on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Web site were: “Don’t Put Condoms in Your Wallet,” “What’s in the Senate Health Care Bill?” and “How to Protect Yourself as a Boomer Consumer When You’re in the Hospital.” See the article “Top 10 Stories on the Boomer Consumer” for the other most-read posts.

Leave a comment below and let me know your opinions on the top events and books of 2009 and the decade for boomer consumers.

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By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist, Blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

I just finished writing my annual post on the “Top 10 Consumer Stories of 2009.”

As a consumer writer, it’s so frustrating that the media, government, and even consumer organizations don’t write about this. I found many articles such as the top business stories, technology stories, entertainment stories, movies, headlines, most read stories, economic stories, science stories, health stories, and auto stories.

However, few organizations see consumers and their needs as important, except as they’re spenders in the economy to make money for businesses and corporations.

Consumers need to strengthen their role in the economy and in their communities.

Here are my suggestions for action steps for boomer consumers for 2010:

1. Join two consumer groups. Two suggestions – the Public Interest Group in your state and Public Citizen.

2. Sign up to receive e-mail recall information or an RSS feed from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

3. File consumer complaints with the Attorney General’s Office in your state or the appropriate state agency if you can’t get your complaints resolved with the business or service provider you worked with. See the Web site of the National Association of Attorneys General for information on how to contact the attorney general in your state.

4. Find three Web sites or blogs that offer consumer information and read them regularly. Three suggestions: The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide, The Consumerist, and ConsumerAffairs.com.

5. Make a savings plan and pay off your credit cards.

6. Contact your legislators and members of Congress about consumer issues, such as health care and finance reform.

7. Plan for retirement. See “Getting the Retirement You Want in Tough Economic Times” for information on retirement planning.

8. Do research before you make a major purchase or sign up for a costly service such as the installation of a new roof or home remodeling. Buy the magazine or online subscription for Consumer Reports for product information and Consumers’ Checkbook magazine for services if you live in the Puget Sound, Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Twin Cities, San Francisco Bay, or Delaware Valley areas.

9. Figure out how to find out about prescription drugs so you know how to be informed when health problems come and you’re faced with choices about the drugs. Two sources of information are The People’s Pharmacy and Public Citizen.

10. Find a local or state group working to improve the environment and join their efforts.

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